Seven women, MMC and a contractor meet at HMP Styal

Seven women at HMP Styal are working through a Modern Methods of Construction cohort with Frameworks Social Enterprise, picking up the trades the industry is genuinely short on and getting CSCS-ready before they leave the gate.

What they're learning

Modern Methods of Construction is the umbrella for the faster, lighter, more precise ways the industry is building now: offsite manufacture, panellised systems, dry trades, surface finishes that go up in days instead of weeks. The cohort at HMP Styal is focused on two trades that sit right at the heart of that shift.

• Spray plastering, using a powered spray rig. Faster coverage, cleaner finish, far fewer trades on the wall at once. Once you can run the gun, you're useful on almost any modern fit-out.
• Brick slips, the thin-veneer brick systems that give a finished masonry look without the wet trade. Common on modular schools, hotels and modern housing.

Alongside the practical work the learners are completing their CSCS card, the entry ticket to any UK site. By the time they finish the programme they're qualified, carded and credible.

Tuesday: meeting contractors

The cohort isn't a training-and-hope exercise. On Tuesday we're sitting down with contractors who are actively looking for trades-ready people on sites across Greater Manchester. The aim is simple: a clear line from cohort to placement, with real opportunities lined up before anyone walks out of the gate.

If you're a contractor with MMC, fit-out, refurb or new-build work in GM and you want CSCS-carded, MMC-trained learners ready to start, we'd like to hear from you.

The partners making it work

With thanks to

Procure Plus continue to back the work that puts under-represented people into proper construction careers. F&T Terrix have supplied the plaster, brick slips and finishing materials that make the practical side possible.

← More about Frameworks Social Enterprise programmes